Each year around Thanksgiving, we start compiling our list of contenders for our Top 50 games. Inevitably, there are some that are “on the bubble,” that need more voices for our discussion. The Fight for the Top 50 is our chance to give games on the cusp a fair shake at a coveted spot on the roster. This year, I’ve taken Activision and Platinum Games’ Transformers: Devastation under my wing. Features editor Tim Turi recently gave it a shot, and we’re here to hash out if it’s got the touch to make the Top 50.

Mike: So Tim, what are your first impressions of the game?

Tim: I remember first seeing this game in trailers and being immediately impressed by how crisp the cel-shaded visuals looked. I didn’t grow up watching G1 Transformers, but I watched the entire original series and the big ‘80s movie several years back. I fell in love with the wacky characters, the camp, the cheesy music, and ridiculous situations the show puts these transforming robots in (“A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur’s Court” is a personal favorite). Anyway, all that is to say that at first blush this game is a triumph in the transposition of something from one medium to another.

Telltale has continued to expand its adventure game empire with new IP, taking on multiple projects simultaneously in 2015. Of those series, Tales From The Borderlands was a particularly unexpected pick. Does it have what it takes to make our Top 50 Games Of The Year list?

I reviewed all five episodes of Tales From The Borderlands for G.I. and felt the series got off to an extremely slow start. The humor, story, and gameplay in the first couple episodes offered little reason to keep going, resulting in threebelow-averagereview scores. However, my opinion was in the minority. Lots of people heaped tons of praise on what I felt like was shaping up to be a formulaic and subpar Telltale adventure.

Every year, Game Informer distills things down to the absolute best of the best with its Top 50 list. The deliberation process often involves blood, sweat. and tears. and there's always the challenge portion where someone's hot pick gets shopped around to other editors to get a second opinion. My game this year is Disgaea 5, a tactical-RPG that may not have much in the way of compelling story, but has a lot going for it in terms of compelling features and systems that only get more interesting as you move from world to world. The unshakable Joe Juba tackles the task of diving in to this giant game for a fresh look.

Dan: Alright Joe, let’s get right down to business. What did you think of Disgaea 5?

Joe: My first impression was that it is a ridiculous game to attempt for this Top 50 challenge, given the number of different systems and the time it takes for the game’s intricacies to unfold. Even though I spent several hours playing, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. But! I’ve played plenty of SRPGs in my day, so I think I have a good grasp of the basics and how the progression continues. The bottom line, for me, is that it feels like a solid grid-based strategy RPG. I’m curious: What do you think sets this one apart from the sea of similar turn-based tactics games?

It’s 4pm on Thanksgiving Day. You’re probably stuffed with turkey right now, or in the process of stuffing yourself with turkey, or still waiting to stuff yourself with turkey. (If you ate ham, get the hell out of here.) You know what that means? It’s time to make hats!

Making turkey hats is an old Thanksgiving tradition. It’s not hard to see why; turkey hats combine two of our favorite things: food and fashion. Hats also make your head look bigger, which will convince people that your brain is huge.

People who wear hats are often the life of the party. Need proof? Check out this picture of Spock.

Resident Evil Revelations has injected the seminal horror series with new levels of fun fan service and consistent gunplay, and I think it's a contender for Game Informer's Top 50 Games of 2015. In keeping with our annual tradition, I've challenged another Game Informer editor to play the episodic horror game to earn another perspective for our year-end list. I enjoyed RE Revelations 2's unique, asymmetrical twist on the series consistent co-op, as well as its slam-dunk interpretation of fan-favorite Barry "You were almost a Jill Sandwich" Burton. I challenged GI editor Kyle Hilliard to join Claire Redfield and Moira Burton on a trip to the deadly prison on Sushestvovanie Island.

Tim: Hi Kyle! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me a bit about Resident Evil. You know, I'm not one to open up about the series a lot so this is pretty important. It means I trust you.

Born on the silver screen in 1979, George Miller's Mad Max captivated audiences with its potent take on the end of days. The earth is scorched, resources are scarce, and all it takes to survive is a nice car and a general lack of empathy for human life. Our guide through this dangerous world was Max, a former Australian police officer who has a little humanity left in him, but is mostly resourceful and relentless. He also has a bad-ass car. After disappearing from cinema for decades, Max return this year in arguably his best film, Mad Max: Fury Road. His story continued a few months later in Avalanche Studios' video game Mad Max.

Although Game Informer's critic Matt Bertz found Max's interactive adventure a little too repetitive for his liking, I had a great time scavenging the desert and clearing it of raider threats. I enjoyed the nicely paced progression systems that made Max's car more of a destructive force, and Max himself a combatant fit for the Thunderdome. Avalanche established a strong arc that begins with Max barely scraping by, and concludes with him rising to the stature of a wasteland juggernaut. I also enjoyed the side activities, such as hunting down components to create thriving settlements. On top of it all, how cool is it that your car is basically your companion? You care about that thing almost as much as you do Max.

Dragon Quest Heroes was perhaps my biggest surprise this year (here's my review). In general, I do not enjoy the musou-style game, and do not have a history with the Dragon Quest series. It was these two factors that made Heroes such a surprisingly fun experience. It doesn’t radically change the musou formula, but it does enough that I am happy to recommend it anyone. I was curious, however, to hear from a Dragon Quest fan, which is why I challenged Kim to play the game for our annual fight for the top 50 games of the year discussion.

Kyle: I know you like Dragon Quest, but do you like musou games? Did you ever play a Dynasty Warriors game, or try out Hyrule Warriors?

Kim: I actually do. I never got super obsessed with musou games, but I like to play them every so often. It’s fun to just take on a bunch of enemies and master simple inputs – a perfect way to de-stress. I’ve played some Dynasty Warriors and also tried some Hyrule Warriors, but I think Dragon Quest Heroes just scratched the right itch for me. I adore Dragon Quest, love building characters, and enjoy monster recruitment. I know you aren’t into Dragon Quest like I am. I totally squeed when Yangus and Jessica appeared. What did you enjoy about the overall gameplay?

This week's collection of blogs is great. We have an eclectic mix of posts to read, some things to mull over, and some insights into what some bloggers are currently playing. Smash Bros. also keeps its presence felt, which is okay by me.

Community Blogs For November 19 – November 25:

Strategy Dichotomy I'm going to be honest here: Buswaxer25 had me at "strategy" and an image of a turn-based strategy game. I was one of the people who got hooked on Final Fantasy Tactics when it was first released, and the love I have for that genre has not gone away – even though that genre largely has. Thanks, Buswaxer25 – now I have to start yet another game of Final Fantasy Tactics or seek out some Fire Emblem games I have yet to try.

It's been another good year to be a gamer given all the great experiences we've played, but like every year there's a healthy debate as to which titles actually belong on our Top 50 games list. I've been having fun with Star Wars: Battlefront's easy, breezy take on online multiplayer combat, but plenty of gamers (GI's Reiner included) find Battlefront disappointing overall. Fellow editor Brian Shea has also played the game, and he and I discuss the title and whether Brian agrees that it's truly Top 50 material.

Kato: What were your expectations of Battlefront before you played it?

Brian: I was a big fan of the original Battlefront games – even though it's been a long time since I've played them. With that in mind, I was pretty excited about the prospects of a revival for the series. The shooter genre has evolved in so many ways since those games released. I was hoping for a mix of old and new while scratching that itch for some good ol' Star Wars action.

Certain years are unforgettable for their volume of stellar game releases. Both The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid arrived in 1998, and Portal and Assassin's Creed debuted with other hits in 2007. It looks like 2015 could be another one of those fondly remembered years as the dust settles near the holiday season. From 2015's early release of Bloodborne all the way up to Rise of the Tomb Raider, we've been graced with a plethora of great games, making end of the year lists even more challenging to boil down.

Every year the Game Informer works hard to distill the year's best games into the Top 50 Games. Battles are fought, victories are won, and hearts are broken over what games earn the honors of making the list. We try to make the most informed decisions possible, and the best way to do that is to get another Game Informer editor to play a game that you think might be on the fringes of making the list. Like previous years, every Game Informer editors has selected a game they're championing, and another editor has rises to the challenge to see if the game is a worthy contender for the list. Today, we'll be posting the conversations of those editors had about whether the game deserves the accolade.

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